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impulsivity

An editorial in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine outlines some of the criteria necessary to accurately diagnose ADHD in children and adolescents.

ADHD is the most common neuro-developmental disorder in young children and is marked by inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity — in the general population, it’s more prevalent among boys than in girls. Additionally, the combination of inattention AND hyperactivity is also more common in boys.

Because many traits of the disorder mimic normal childhood behaviors, the journal maintains that the symptoms should be beyond the the norm and should be severe enough to interfere with learning and social interaction.

Diagnosing the disorder in adolescents can trickier because as the child gets older, the hyperactivity component subsides somewhat; thus, the disorder is harder for parents and teachers to recognize — in these instances, physicians often rely on self-reporting of symptoms from patients themselves.

According to the DSM-V, 6 of ten criteria of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity must be met for accurate diagnosis. The criteria for inattention are as follows:

often makes careless mistakes

often has trouble holding attention on tasks or play activities

Often doewsn’t seem to listen when directly spoken to

Often doesn’t follow through on instructions – fails to finish homework or chores

Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities

Often avoids, dislikes or is hesitant to perform tasks that require mental effort for a long period of time